The new family tent arrived today in anticipation of future years with less flying, two week holidays under canvas etc. My lads LOVE camping. Mrs G-D is warming to it but she wanted more space – if it was 2 solid weeks under canvas rain or shine then it had to be big. Enter the Khyam AirTek 8 with a discount code. It’s huge. Not like a large Ginsters is huge but like the planet Jupiter is huge.

The bagged tent (without carpet and other ancillaries) takes up about 2/3 of the boot of my Passat estate and it has its own gravitational field. If away for 2 weeks we’re likely to have one or both of kayaks (2x roto-moulded 2-3 person boats) and/or bikes with us. I’ve done the sums and we aren’t going to manage this on the current boot and a roofbox.

So what the hell do people with big tents and a busy couple of weeks of outdoorsing do to transport masses of kit? I have checked and the answer is not send the tent back and buy a smaller one!

The options we’ve come up with are:

1) Trailer with lid – left loaded up with core kit during the summer maybe with a rack on top to take bikes or kayaks. One specific issue is we don’t have a garage so I could kind of see a theft risk here. I think it might need to be a custom build. I’m a pre 97 licence holder and I’ve towed a fair bit over the years so no fears there.

2) Get a SWB or MWB crew cab van or Caravelle/minibus (leave rear row of seats out). Probably needs me to have a small car as a panel van won’t go down well for work travel and also mileage/fuel and insurance costs for business use of a panel van in a desk job might be pretty steep.

3) Crew cab truck with one of those steel tops on, bikes on big towbar rack or on top of the hard top.

4) Conventional large (e.g. Galaxy) or van based (Caddy/Tourneo) people carrier. I reckon the van-based ones are more the ticket of these options.

The Passat I’m ambivalent about whether we keep it or not. It’s paid for so we could hold it temporarily but with a van as well it won’t all go on the drive.

We have 6×4′ trailer with a high canopy. Towed by a Doblo. Off to the Alps every summer for 3-4 weeks with lots of fun stuff. It cost £450, and has proved to be an excellent purchase.

We have a massive vango airbeam, with a serious amount of kit and also a passat estate, plus 2 toddlers who need a huge amount of kit, including a buggy. We manage (just)

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/e2Zo3zd

Take the spare wheel out, get a roofbox and towbar rack for the car.(next step for us so we can get an even bigger roofbox)

We have a massive vango airbeam, with a serious amount of kit and also a passat estate, plus 2 toddlers who need a huge amount of kit, including a buggy. We manage (juzt)

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/e2Zo3zd

Take the spare wheel out, get a roofbox and towbar rack for the car.(next step for us so we can get an even bigger roofbox)

Not sure why you’d need a custom build trailer. Have seen plenty with bike racks on top using standard roof bars. Kayaks might be trickier as you probably need more length, so leave them on the roof. All camping kit in trailer. You can insure trailers against theft but will probably want a pointless clamp and maybe hitch lock. A ground annchor under the trailer axel is much more effective. If you are going to leave stuff in it you’ll need good locks there too – but I think it will get damp so would prefer to unload it.

Roofbox or trailer. I had a trailer for a while but storing it was a challenge as we dont have easy access to the back of our house (narrow passageway) so got rid after I finished a building project as it was a hassle in the garage.
Roofbox good but only for lighter stuff, storage in the garage hanging from the roof was easy.

Trailer if you have space, roofbox if you dont.

Van.

Been there, done that as they say. A van is the answer. You don’t have to pay VW scene tax either.

As a kid we used to go for long holidays in an ordinary car with a huge tent. Everything just got packed in including stuff inside the car. Roof rack is your friend here

Why would work care what you drive if you have a desk job? Get a van and balls to then. Modern ones look as decent as any car.

Hire a van for the holidays?
Tow bar cargo rack?
Box trailer with the bikes sitting on top (kayaks on the roof rack)…. Best solution.

Family of four, 8 person tent, plus huge porch extension, airbeds, sleeping bags, duvets, pillows, cooking stuff, toys when they were little etc etc, in an Octavia estate and a roof box.

None of it used in last 3-4 years and unlikely to be used in the foreseeable future

A consensus hooray! 😉

Why would work care what you drive if you have a desk job? Get a van and balls to then. Modern ones look as decent as any car.

This often gets said but in practice this isn’t just commuting but also regular business travel (sorry that wasn’t so clear) in a client facing role. In the same way I don’t wear smart jeans to work and have to wear a suit. It’s also because of costs and convenience.

Those of you who’ve got it all in the car I assume you have packed floor to ceiling? If so how are you securing it all so it doesn’t lurch forward?

When i was my boys age and we camped as a family there was usually a very large trailer involved. When we were younger dad used to wedge stuff everywhere in the car to make it fit but we’d be travelling with knees by our ears. Very much like the TJ experience!

We also have surfer’s issue of no accessible rear access.

Glad to see no votes for the truck or people carrier so far!

Anyone got experience of insuring a van as an accountant

I Run a Transit Custom Double cab as a daily for just these reasons.
It swallows pretty much everything.
Its like a car inside and looks smart enough, no one objects to riding in it as it has more room in the back seats than most cars and is very comfortable.
I have the factory fit, fold down roof bars for Canoe transport, but it also means itll fit in Multi storey car parks with them folded flat too.
It has got a towbar if we are taking absolutely everything plus the dogs, and i did buy a trailer this year too, as its just easier.

Trailer here. Previous couple of years we’ve had a roof box, and it was a real fight to fit things in. Car is an A6 estate, so not exactly small. 4 bikes on the back, 1 on the roof next to the box.

Got the trailer for this year, and it’s been great. Over 4 times as much space as the roof box, really is no hassle to tow, and can get six bikes on top. The only real downside is that channel crossings are really quite a lot more expensive. A mate of mine has a very similar trailer, and rents a lock up to store it in.

We don’t have space for a trailer either, so went with a cargo rack and bag. Actually, I just used a £40 Amazon basics cargo bag (450 litres I think) and strapped it to my Thule bike carrier with two ratchet straps. I can get our SUP, the kids boogies boards and a load of other stuff in there. It will take our Vango airhub awning aswell, no problem.

Probably not much help but this is how we ended up with a trailer tent. All the camping kit is stored and travels in it.

Depending on what storage space you have available, have a look for a Duuo trailer, they dismantle and store upright. I’ve got one and don’t have a garage, but I can wheel it down the side of my house to the back garden. I’ll also be looking to move it on shortly if it’s of any help to you.

I was thinking the same thing as houndlegs, how about this:

Homepage

We (family of four) manage with a c-max, towbar bike rack and large roofbox. The middle seat is taken out and left at home, and tent poles go under the kids’ feet. This is with a large 6-man steel pole tent plus extension. I had a look at a friend’s airbeam and the total pack size and weight was about the same.

We’ve had similar musings, but since we only go camping three or four times per year, it doesn’t make much sense to change car. So far we’ve managed with the biggest roof box we could find, but if we need more space we’ll probably just hire a trailer as needed. Even hiring a bigger vehicle once per year is probably better than driving around in something huge all year for no good reason.

We manage (just) previously with an estate (Audi A6) and now in a XC60 by very careful packing and a roofbox.

We did two weeks camping in Cornwall this summer, 2 adults, two kids decent sized airbeam tent and we got everything we needed in a Skoda Yeti. Had two boards on the roof so no roof box.

Cooked everyday and had a great time!

Maybe you have too much stuff!!

We just took two cars. One for camping gear and one for kids and luggage. I looked at trailer, vans etc and concluded it was cheaper and easier to just take both cars and pay for an extra tank of fuel. This is obviously less viable if going to the alps though.

This is why the thought of going camping with the family is horrific! My car is already full – 3 kids in back, stuff in boot and roofbox, will need space for dog, bikes on the towbar

At the moment I’m preferring to go wildcamping/bikepacking for short trips and then self catering for family holidays, rather than week long camping trips. The thought of moving house for a week scares me and this thread isn’t helping!

Trailer – nice little erde – you will barely know it’s there…

Brenderup 1150s/1205s with an ABS lid and bike rack is the trailer of choice.

The 1205 is absolutely massive

We have a T4 Caravelle and a mahoooooosive tent, have done for several years now. Mrs S believes in taking everything from the house as well as the garage when we go, but loves camping, and I just got tired of trying to fight it into a people carrier with 3 boys, dog and 5 bikes. Didn’t work.

Local short weekends we can get away with just folding the back seat up, but for the big holiday (and a week they usually do in DOrset whilst I’m at work) I remove the rear seats – loses 40Kg of weight and gains a foot and a bit of load space. Far more civilised then.

We do get a lot of other use out of the van though, biking climbing, paddling etc. and just generally carting 3 boys and assorted friends. Also a good way to get half the village to a party and taxis home, haven’t paid for my drinks for ages.

Gone round Europe for the past 7 years in our T5 Caravelle. We have a 600 roof box this year had to take 6 bikes 5 on the back one on the roof. The inside is packed to the rafters. The fridge and 8 man tent in the footwell.

Next year we may take 7 bikes dreading it. I would like a trailer but the wife isn’t keen.

A big vehicle is a big compromise if you are only using its size once or twice a year…..

Boot volume here for most cars https://www.automobiledimension.com/ usually measured to top of rear seats.

The biggest of MPVs e.g. a galaxy will gain you a bit more over a passat. If you are willing to unbolt the rearmost seats and pack to the roof it will be quite a lot bigger.

Use a dog guard or similar bulkhead to stop stuff coming forwards.

The long wheelbase rifter or berlingo could be a shout.

Something like a short wheelbase Tourneo Connect or a VW caddy will almost double the boot space and not be too bad on fuel but is a step further away from car dynamics than an MPV.

It might be best to just rent a crew van (combi van) if it’s only once or twice a year. Though I have no idea of the cost.

Actually a trailer is easily the best option if you can stash it somewhere.

If you need to do bikes AND kayaks then a decent trailer whit bikes on top of that, and kayaks on the roof would be best.

For shorter trips I;d have thought you bed OK to get away with tent in the boot, bikes on the back, and a massive roofbox? Pack the soft stuff around the kids and use a doggy safety net to enable you to pack up to the roof in the car.

VW caravelle here. Here’s ours, it’s far removed from a Panel Van It’s fantastic big family-into-outdoorsy-stuff transport.

That said, it’s also the least reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned. That includes a period of time as a student with a wretched fiat 126.

We get we have done 5 adult size people and dog in the Peugeot tepee partner (Berlingo). Not a huge tent but loads of stuff. Fine with a huge roof box and grill across the rear seat head rests. I love it as a daily drive and it can do 50mph on my commute. Really really wouldn’t prefer to drive a car. The driving position is so much better.

They now do a long wheel base which would be perfect for you. The vw caddy maxi would be ideal as well. Crew cab Peugeot expert would work as well

We didn’t use our tent this year..its an oldish Vango 6 man tent ..we arent “serious” campers ..the missus just wouldnt go anywhere without a hook-up ..however with a couple of teenagers in tow the last time we went anywhere involved two vehicles a Vauxhall Insignia Sport Tourer (estate) with roof box ..and a Nissan X-trail..and every inch of space was taken in both cars !..
I don’t have any answers for you ..but just thought I would wish you good luck !

That said, it’s also the least reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned

Funnily enough my dad’s 54 plate one would fit the same description for him!

I think my reticence about jenga packing a normal car comes from not wanting to spend half a day at both ends of a 3-4 day trip or cheeky weekend doing it. Something about my obsessive nature likes the result but it’s dead time that I want to spend with the two hooligans. If it was once a year for a two week trip and nothing else then that would be different.

I drop the seats a lot in the car so trying to avoid the fixed dog guard solution (been there, done that and been irritated by it rapidly).

I am wobbling between van and trailer now.

Van has other advantages – can hide bikes in it while away and for those go somewhere straight from work rides and it’s a portable changing room. Downside is getting kayaks or small dinghies on top. Transit Custom looking appealing in SWB form so far.

Upside of the trailer is I get a normal car for all the boring functional journeys. Big downside of the trailer option is storage because it would live in the space that my sailing dinghy sits in over the winter. Which means paying to store that somewhere

I have come to the solid conclusion that I have far too many priorities and am not especially good at compromise.

Does nobody else see the irony in the OP’s username and predicament?

Anyway, we managed to just squeeze in to a Peugeot 5008 with a large roofbox on top last year with 3 kids and a 40kg 6 man steel pole tent. This year we got a 4x3ft trailer so we could take the dogs too and not need a second car. The idea was that the dogs would have most of the boot and everything else would be in the roofbox and trailer. Eventually the dogs ended up in the rear footwells and the boot was full of stuff. It’s that general rule that whatever space you have you’ll fill and wish you had more! Project for next spring is a height extension to the trailer!

We also have friends who hire a crewcab van for 2 weeks every summer for their main camping holiday. I can see the logic in that if it’s only once a year but we like to get away a few times throughout the summer.

@pocpoc the irony is not lost on me! I used to have a garage but it got replaced by a wooden outbuilding. When we extended the rear of the house a few years back we also reduced the width of the access to the garden from a car width to a pedestrian gate. Benefit of hindsight as in the olden days when I chose my name we could have just put the trailer down the bottom of the garden.

You could sell your new tent and buy my massive family trailer tent with roof rack attachments so you can carry as many bikes as you like 🙂

We moved on to a caravan.

The latest generation of berlingo-like vehicles are available in lwb as well as regular. The grand tourneo connect as example can fit 1300l of stuff in, whilst still having 5 seats up. Should be a good deal more car-like and less expensive than a VW van, although does look a bit like a mobility van

Morning lovely people of STW.

Off to have a look at a Tourneo Connect and a Transit Connect today more for information than purchasing at this stage.

Anyone know if the “Grand” Tourneo Connect is longer or is it just the extra row of seats?

Keep the car ditch the trailer and get one of these?
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/tow-bar-boxes/